Geron



(No Model.)

, T. J. BERGERON & F. BEDARD.

FIRE ESCAPE.

No. 481,888. Patented Aug. 8o, 1892.

m: noms :que co., now-mnu msm @Ntra STATES Erice.

Aralar THELESPI-IORE J. BERGERON AND FIRMIN BEDARD, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MIN- NESOTA, ASSIGNORS TO AURELIE BERGERON AND OLARISSE BEDARD,

OF SAME PLACE.

FI RE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 481,888, dated August 30, 1892.

Application filed October l, 1891. Serial No. 407,468- (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern.-

Beit known that we, THELESPHORE J. BER- GERON and FIRMIN BEDARD, citizens of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as Io will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in fire-escapes, and to that particular class in which an elevator r 5 adapted to give egress to the windows or other exterior openings of a building is raised or lowered from a traveler mounted upon and traversing a railway permanently secured to one or more sides ot' the building, the operazo tion of raising and loweringbeing accomplished by means of a windlass or other suitable power; and it consists oi' the peculiar construction and arrangement of the various parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, and specifically set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a side elevation of our improved apparatus applied to the side of a building', showing the elevator in vertical section to 3o show the hollow walls; Fig. 2, a front elevation of the same; and Fig. 3, adetail view of the elevator, partly in section and partly broken away to show the hollow walls and the sliding doors therein.

3 5 Similar letters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views.

The letter A indicates a metal railway, which is permanently attached to the building, consisting of a rail a, rigidly secured to 4o brackets B, fastened by bolts and nuts to the wall of the building, as shown in Fig. l. The railway may run entirely around the building or upon one or more sides, as may be convenient or desirable.

Mounted upon the rail co is a traveler C, consisting of metal frame c, having journaled therein two sets of wheels-an upper set and a lower set-the wheels of each set being double-anged to hold them onto the rail.

5o The traveler is provided withaswiveled hook or loop D, to which is secured a pulley-block E, which receives an elevator-cable F.

The elevatorGis constructed of sheet metal with double walls having a space between them and is provided with two openings, one for ingress and the other for egress. Each opening is provided with two sliding doors, one door g being ot sheet metal and the other door g being of netted or woven wire. These doors may be used at will. Then there is 6o danger from the flames entering the elevator or when running through intense heat, the sheet-metal door g is used to close the opening and the woven-wire door g slid back into the space between the walls of the elevator at one side of the openings; but if there be no danger from either cause then the doors g may be used and the doors g slid back into the space between the walls at the other side of the openings. 7o

Pivoted to the rear side of the elevator at the bottom of the opening is a gangway H, to be raised and lowered at the windows or openings by means ot a lever h, operated from within the elevator. The free end of the gangway is formed with hooks, which catch onto the window-sills for the purpose of holding and steadying the elevator. A chain hgserves to prevent the gangway from dropping below a horizontal plane. A short [iight of steps I, 8o supported by hand-rails c' lL', leads from the opening made in the front side of the elevator. The elevator is also provided with a yielding platform J for cushioning the shock or preventing rebound when the elevator strikes the ground on its descent. The cushion or platform J is composed ot two metal plates jj, connected to rods j j', which pass up through holes made in the iioor of the elevator and are secured by nuts. A spiral 9o spring S surrounds each rod between the plate and the bottom of the elevator. These springs are of sufiicient strength to withstand the shock of a sudden descent. As the elevator descends and the plates strike the ground the springs cushion the shock, the rods passing up through the holes in the floor of the elevator as the springs compress.

The elevator is further provided with suitable means for insuring an unobstructed and roo safe ascentl and descent, and the same consists of four guiding-wheels K K K K, each journaled on a short arm secured to the elevator at each of the four inner corners on the sides thereof. In either the ascent or descent of the elevator the wheels strike any obstruction there may be on the side of the building and guide the elevator over the saine.

The elevator is attached to the cable F,

ro which, running through the pulley-block E and a detachable pulley-block L, fastened to an eyebolt M, is secured at the other end to the drum N of a windlass O, which is rigidly fastened by any suitable means to eyebolts I5 P, passing through the curb and secured by nuts. A ratchet-wheel and pawl serve to hold the elevator at any desired point. The revolutions of the drum are controlled by abrake R, consisting of a shoe fr, connected to a pivzo oted foot-lever r and contacting with a pulley r2, rigidly secured on the drum-shaft.

The elevator may be moved from one end or sideot the building. or from one window to another adjacent one by means of a guyline S', and the same may be guided and steadied in its ascent and descent by means of a guy-line T, the slack of the line being taken up or paid out by means of an ordinary line-reel t', held and operated by a iireinancr 3o other person.

It is evident that the elevator may be constructed of various sizes and that the walls may be of a single thickness instead of double. It is also evident that the traveler may have but three wheels-two upper and one lowerinstead of four.

The apparatus may be quickly placed in operative position. All that is required to be done is to place the windlass in proper posi- 4o tion, secure it to the eyebolts, fasten one end of the cable to the elevator and the other end to the drum of the windlass, and the apparatus will be ready for action. Vhen not in use, the ends of the cable may be kept coiled in a box secured to the building, while the elevator and windlass may be kept in any convenient place readily accessible. Instead of using the windlass as a power to raise and lower the elevator, any other suitable power 5o may be used. It is unnecessary to describe the operation of the apparatus, as the sameis perfectly obvious from the foregoing description.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

l. In a iireescape,the combination, wlth a `railway permanently attached to the building, a traveler mounted upon said railway, an elevator constructed with hollow walls and having its front and rear openings each provided with asolid door and a woven-wire door, and a cable connecting the elevator with the traveler for raising and lowering said elevator, substantially as specied.

2. In a {ire-escape, the combination, with a railway permanently attached to the building, ot' a traveler mounted upon said railway, an elevator constructed with hollow walls and provided at each of its openings with two doors ot' the kind described and with guidewheels, and a suitable raising and lowering cable connecting the traveler with the elevator, substantially as specified.

3. In a fire-escape, the combination,with a railway permanently attached to the building, a traveler moving thereon, and suitable raising and lowering tackle, of an elevator constructed with hollow walls and provided with a solid and an open-work door at each opening, with guide-wheels at the inner or rear side corners, and with a yielding platform at the bottom thereof, substantially as specified.

4. In a lire-escape of the character described, the combination, with the railway, traveler, and hoisting-cable, of an elevator provided with a solid and an open-work door at each opening, with guide-wheels and a hinged gangway, a yielding platform, and with a suitable guy-rope for guiding the elevator in its ascent and descent, and a guy-rope for moving the traveler across the side of the building, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

THELESPI-IORE J. BERGERON. FIRMIN BEDARD.

lVitn esses:

ALFRED FREsHE'r, O. TIssInN. 

